Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (108 page)

“Your mother would be insulted, yes, I know, I know.  Even though she would be assured of your eating well, and it
will
be yours before too long.  Well, you have lived on your own before, I cannot blame you for not wanting to forever feel like a guest and have to be on your best behaviour.”  Nodding to the building across the street, he pursed his lips.  “It is not a house, but I imagine our inn is a far sight more comfortable and quieter than where you lived in London.”

Samuel smiled and looked down.  “That would not take much, sir.”

Mayfield leaned forward.  “Are you sure that this is what you want with your life, Darcy?  Something tells me that you are a man of the land, not of the books.  You are doing your damndest here, and I look at your work and know that you will be running circles around me before the New Year.   You are sharp as a tack and learn quickly, but is this what you truly want?”

“What would you have me do?”  Samuel said incredulously.  “I am not like Mr. Bingley and the recipient of a hundred thousand pounds to go off buying a home!  My cousin, more so than my father, is financing the purchase of this practice, for heaven’s sake!  I have been blessed by his faith in me!  I must earn my living and I followed in my father’s footsteps.  Is that not what most every son does?  I want him to be proud of me.”

“Yes, of course.  If I had a boy who had wanted it, would I have entertained Mr. Darcy’s suggestion that I take you on, a newly employed clerk?  I would have saved your position for my blood.  But my boy wished to be a physician, and he became one.  A damned good one, too.  The point being, Darcy, he is doing what makes him happy, not me.  I love him just the same.”

“Sir . . . I appreciate your efforts to help me find my path, but the point remains, I have no great inheritance.  I have no expectations of one.  I have generous connections, and I am quite content to be your successor, I truly do enjoy the law and I do not covet my cousin’s estate.”  He turned completely away from the window and looked his employer in the eye.  “Now then, I have some questions for you, if you have the time?”

Mayfield sighed and then nodding; found his usual smile.  “Certainly, let me just go and fetch my spectacles.”  He stood and went out into the office.

Samuel stopped shuffling the papers on his desk and blew out his cheeks.  He stared unseeing out of the window and thought of the men from Pemberley riding through Meryton, and then thinking of his father, he shook his head and returned to work.

“MRS. DARCY, are you going to remain in that doorway conducting your private conversation or will we all share in it?”  Lady Catherine demanded.

Elizabeth heard Sophie’s quiet groan and entered the room, “Forgive me, Aunt.  I was not aware that you were without companionship.”  She looked around; all of the female guests were present.  Jane was looking at Sophie curiously. 

“Hmmmph.  I assume that your plans are completed?”

“I hope so, but Mrs. Reynolds will probably arrive in minutes with another disaster to settle. I would be glad to receive advice from you or Aunt Grace; you have surely hosted and attended scores of private balls.  The grandest I have ever experienced was held by my brother, Mr. Bingley.”  She smiled at Jane.  “What an evening that was!  I was a bundle of nerves; at last I was to dance with the man I would soon marry.”  She turned to Susan and Lady Matlock, “And I met your sons that night.” 

“It was a terrifying evening.”  Jane agreed.

“Nobody saw your fear, I assure you, Jane.”  Louisa smiled, “You looked so serene.” 

She started and put her hand to her heart, “I did?” 

Elizabeth turned to the elder ladies.  “For me it was all a blur, I hardly remember a thing other than . . . well . . . some things I do remember.”  She smiled to her hands and everyone saw her touch her ring.

“Well then, as you are ignorant, I will give my counsel since I was in charge of that affair.”  Caroline spoke up and turned to Lady Catherine, “You see, I was acting as the mistress of the house at the time.”

“Yes, naturally.  And when your brother married you stepped aside as you should.”  She dismissed her and nodded to Jane.  “Mrs. Bingley, I know how your sister has admirably donned her role of mistress of my nephew’s homes, and she has been extremely successful after a fashion.”  Elizabeth’s eyes rolled and she caught Sophie’s smile behind her hand.  “What have you done to make Mr. Bingley’s home your own?”

Her eyes wide, she felt her cheeks reddening.  “Unfortunately, Mr. Bingley currently does not have a home, Lady Catherine.  Our lease ends in a few weeks at Michaelmas and we have already moved away.  We are staying at my sister’s invitation until an estate is purchased.” Jane looked to Elizabeth.  “Perhaps it will be found today.”

Lady Catherine was looking sharply between the sisters.  “I hope that you take greater interest in this home, Mrs. Bingley, and do not give your husband any trouble when he purchases it.  Your sister should not have to host you indefinitely.”

Jane stammered, “Of . . . of course not, Lady Catherine.  We appreciate my sister and brother’s kindness.” 

Impatient, Cathy brushed the conversation aside and leaned towards Elizabeth, “I want to hear about your first meeting with Richard.”  

“I have no doubt that he made a lasting impression.”  Lady Matlock smiled.

“He certainly did with me.”  Sophie laughed.

“Yes, I wished to throttle him.”  Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully.

Sophie clapped.  “Me, too!” 

“Now that is the brother I know and love.”  Cathy laughed.  “What did he do?”

“Oh my, too many things.  His self-appointed task was to find out what sort of a woman had wormed her way into my husband’s heart at long last.”  She took an imaginary poker and twisted it.  “He was awful, I assure you.  No offense, Sophie, but he was.  I felt as if I were being held in a dungeon and questioned at the hands of a hooded thug.”

“Oh my!”  Georgiana gasped.

“It
was
awful.  No wonder I have forgotten so much of that night.”  She shrugged at Sophie, “Again, I apologize.”

“No, no, I take no offense with anything he did before I was near to correct him.  I have given him a blanket pardon for his past.”  She grinned.  “From what I have seen of your relationship, you have been an excellent influence upon him.”

Elizabeth opened her hands, “I am glad to have relinquished it to you.”

“And how was my son, Elizabeth?”  Susan asked.

“Samuel.”  She sighed and leaned back in her chair.  “Samuel is any young lady’s dream.  Handsome, thoughtful, kind . . . an absolute gentleman . . .  He was so shy, how he has changed in the time I have known him.” She smiled at his proud mother.  “You have done wonderfully raising him.”

“Then why did you not marry
him
?”  Caroline spurted out before Susan could respond.  Her face coloured when the women turned to her, and she moderated her voice.  “You seem enamoured of him.”

The warmth in her expression gone, Elizabeth spoke sharply, “I was engaged to Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley.  My heart was captured by him quite early in our acquaintance.  The beauty or manner of any other man, while appreciated, can never compare to my husband, or at that time, my betrothed.  If I recall, you noticed my husband’s feelings for me as they formed and commented upon them frequently.  Did you not see that I cared for him as well, particularly when I accepted his proposal in your presence?”

“As I remember, I expressed my surprise along with the rest of the witnesses.”  She said defensively.

Anne addressed Caroline, “You witnessed my cousin’s proposal?  May I ask what it was like?”

“Oh yes, do describe it!”  Cathy leaned forward eagerly. 

“Girls!”  Lady Matlock chastised them.  “It is not your business!”

“Of course it is!”  Cathy glared at her mother.  “Anne and I both were hoping to hear him propose to us!  She is married, I am . . . endeavouring to be married . . . and you know that Elizabeth will only describe his proposal in the most glowing terms.”  Turning back to Caroline she looked at her encouragingly.  “Well?  How was it?”

“What did he say?  Did he get on one knee?” 

“Oh, how unlike him that would be!”  Cathy looked at Anne.  “I always imagined him taking my hand and speaking very seriously.”

“I always imagined Mama sitting next to him with a knife pressed to his back.”  Anne laughed.

“Lady Gladney!” 

“I am sorry, Mama, but as positive as I was that he would be my husband, I knew that he was not in any hurry to propose.”  She sighed and looked at Elizabeth.  “I am sorry to renew any discomfort between us; I hope that we have managed to move on?”

Elizabeth was sitting with her arms crossed protectively over her chest and watching the conversation with disbelief.  “No, no . . . you are quite married now and if I can find it in my heart to be friends with your mother, I should certainly accept you.  I believe that I made my opinion of your . . . opinion of him quite clear at our last meeting.” 

“Good.”  Cathy turned back to Caroline.  “Well?”

“You do need to realize that Miss Bingley was quite set on marrying Mr. Darcy, as well.”  Jane said quietly.  Surprised, Elizabeth looked to her sister along with the rest of the women.  “So you will have to take her description with a grain of salt.” 

“You?”  Cathy laughed.  “YOU thought that you would marry Fitzwilliam Darcy?
You
?”

Before Caroline could speak, Georgiana chimed in, “Yes, she was constantly fawning over him, I saw that enough.  I was so afraid that she would find a way to blind him, or put him in a position where he had no choice but to take her.”

“A daughter of a tradesman?”  Cathy screeched with laughter as Caroline’s face became increasingly red. 

“Impossible!”  Anne cried.

“Really, Miss Bingley.  That is overreaching in a spectacular way.”  Lady Matlock clucked.  “At least Mrs. Darcy is a gentlewoman by birth.  Perhaps your great granddaughter might marry such a man, when the taint of trade about your person is stale.” 

“Tradesmen do have money though.”  Lady Catherine sniffed.  “To the desperate family, I suppose it would be acceptable to take her dowry.  But she would never be welcome in the highest circles.  She might make the marriage, but she would be laughed at.  I have no doubt of this.”  Nodding to Louisa, she said approvingly.  “You made the correct step up, Mrs. Hurst.  You advanced yourself, not too high, but appropriately.  Your children will be well-positioned for moving forward.  Your sister should follow your example.  A man with a modest estate, or a banker, perhaps.  That would be appropriate for a girl such as she.”

“Catherine, Miss Bingley
is
in the room.”  Susan gently chastised her.

“Samuel, perhaps?”  Lady Catherine suggested slyly.

Susan bristled.  “I think not.” 

“A widower might do.”  Lady Matlock said thoughtfully.  “One whose children are grown, and whose heir is set.  An older man, I think.  So he would have a companion as he ages.  If you are fortunate, he would die soon so you would not have to bear his visits for long, unfortunately, in the meantime, he would probably need a great deal of encouragement to become ready to face you.  You would have your work cut out for you.”

Horrified, Caroline stammered, “Work, what sort of work . . . and what do you mean about him facing me?”

“In your marriage bed, my dear!  The man would be taking a wife for one reason only if his family was formed, and that reason would be for gratification.  He might be embarrassed to visit the courtesans at that age, if his prowess is reduced.  A wife would be able to take all the time that was needed; where a courtesan would be forced to smile as her other clients were taken by her sisters in trade.  Well, perhaps he would want companionship, if you have any accomplishments, but he is just as likely to spend his time at his club.”  She turned to her sister. “What do you think, Catherine?”

“It is a fine idea.”  Lady Catherine nodded.  “But she does not have to take such an old man.  I know of several men in their late thirties who might do for you.  They wore out their first wives with childbirth and are ready to start fresh.  They would not mind a pretty girl on their arm, and would likely crow if they got you with child, not that it would inherit, of course.  The second family will receive the leavings.  You had better have a good marriage contract drawn up.  Your son could do that, could he not, Susan?  Something to be of service?”

Susan looked from Caroline’s gaping mouth to Elizabeth’s closed eyes.  “Yes, he could, but I believe that you are putting the cart before the horse.  Miss Bingley must first meet a gentleman.”   

“I . . . I would prefer a man of . . . younger years.”  Caroline croaked.

“Well, we all have preferences, do we not?  After all, you presumed to want my cousin.”  Cathy laughed unkindly.

“I think that you have made your point, ladies, we do not need to fight each other to create the description of the most disgusting suitor this morning.”  Elizabeth said quietly. 

“Thank you, Lady Catherine and . . . all of you.  Hopefully Mrs. Darcy’s kind invitation to the ball will give my sister the opportunity to meet the best man for her.”  Louisa glanced at her mortified sister.  “I believe that she was simply . . . overwhelmed by our brother’s good fortune to gain a friend like Mr. Darcy and set her hopes high.”

“High?”  Anne snorted.  “They reached the moon, I think.”

“Hmmph.  That is no excuse, she knows her station.”  Lady Catherine regarded Caroline.  “We have already addressed your shortcomings, Miss Bingley, and I see that they remain.  Well, there is nothing for it; we shall have to take you in hand for the days remaining before the ball.  I believe that we will begin with your closet.”  She began to rise.

“Aunt Catherine.”   Elizabeth said with quiet authority.  “Another time.” 

“Excuse me.”  Caroline stood and left the room.  Louisa sent Elizabeth a grateful look and followed her out. 

“You know it was for her own good, Elizabeth.”  Lady Matlock said seriously.  “It is better that she faces it here than in London.”

“Yes, I know.  The trial by fire I faced contained ten times the vitriol she heard.”